22/23 Premier League: Team of the Season (Mid-Season)

 

The  Premier League is the most-watched sports league in the world, broadcast in 212 territories to 643 million homes and a potential TV audience of 4.7 billion people.

If you are one of those 4.7 billion people, you and I both understand the sheer talent and hard work required by the players to perform in this league

As we move past the mid-point of the Premier League season ( Match-day 19 of 38), it's only right to recognize the crème de la crème in the Premier League, players that have risen above the rest in the season so far.  

Here is the Team of the Mid-season

FORMATION: 4-2-3-1

GOALKEEPER

GK: Nick Pope ( Newcastle United F.C.)

Newcastle United have kept the most clean sheets (11) in the Premier League this season and no team has conceded fewer goals (11). Nick Pope has been decently protected by his defenders this season, but he has been alive to the challenge when called to action.

DEFENDERS

R.B: Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United F.C.)

No defender has provided more Premier League assists this season than Kieran Trippier (4). Kieran Trippier has played more passes (163) into the final third than any other player in the Premier League this season. Kieran Trippier has played more passes (189) into the opposition box than any other player in the Premier League this season. 

CB: William Saliba (Arsenal F.C.)

William Saliba has won possession more times (70)in the defensive third than any other player in the Premier League this season and has made more ball recoveries in total than any defender. At only 21 years, Saliba has been over and above any defender in the league. His physical capability, passing ability, and goal-scoring affinity in set pieces have been vital to The Gunners this season.

CB: Fabian Schär (Newcastle United F.C.)

 After signing a new two-year contract at Newcastle United in the summer, Fabian has been as tidy as a whistle at the back for Newcastle United. The Swiss International has been front and centre in ensuring the Newcastle backline does not leak any goals. Evident in their 11 clean sheets this season.

LB: Andrew Robertson (Liverpool F.C.)

Andy Robertson becomes the defender with the most assists in Premier League history (54). The Scotsman has been phenomenal, the same cannot be said of the Liverpool team this season. 

MIDFIELDERS

DM: Rodri (Manchester City F.C.)

Manchester City midfielder Rodri has had a total of 1791 touches of the ball this season. The next player, Thiago Silva, has had almost 300 touches less than the Spanish International. Pivotal!

The 6"foot 3" defensive midfielder proves why he might be the most influential player within the Pep Guardiola system. Comfortable in possession, isn't afraid to tackle, is an amazing ball passer, and is 26 years young. Rodri is an absolute gem!

DM: João Palhinha (Fulham F.C.)

João Palhinha is a ball-winning machine. He leads the Premier League table in tackles(89), twenty-two more than the next player in line. He joined very recently in the summer and I ranked him highly in the Top 10 Premier League summer Transfers piece. The Portuguese behemoth has already found a place within the rising Fulham F.C. side. 

C.M: Martin Ødegaard (Arsenal F.C.)

Words cannot express how difficult it was for me to decide who to place in this creative position within the team. Martin Ødegaard & Kevin De Bruyne are currently tied in the number of goal contributions (13) this season. The truth, however, is that Ødegaard has been more influential within his team, captaining Arsenal to first place, eight points adrift from the chasing Manchester City.

The Gunners captain was awarded the Premier League Player of the Month for November and December for his troubles. He also scored a phenomenal long-range strike at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to secure three points and drown their North London rivals in the Derby. Iconic!

FORWARDS

R.W: Miguel Almirón (Newcastle United F.C.)

 

Nine goals and an assist in the books for the 28-year-old Paraguayan. Miguel has been impressive with his dribbling and eye for goal.

Newcastle United are currently in 3rd position in the 2022/23 English Premier League, with 38 points from 19 matches played. They have won 10 matches, drawn 8, and lost 1. Miguel has been a big part of this success.

L.W: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United F.C.)

The forgotten star-boy has risen once again. Marcus Rashford has been on fire lately, and no one can seem to stop him.

Marcus Rashford has been on another level since the World Cup:

Burnley: ⚽️

Forest: ⚽️🅰️

Wolves: ⚽️

Bournemouth: ⚽️

Everton: ⚽️🅰️🅰️

Charlton: ⚽️⚽️

Man City: ⚽️

 

C.F: Erling Haaland (Manchester City F.C.)

Erling Haaland is the quickest player in Premier League history to reach 20 goals. Compared to his meteoric rise, it's almost surprising the Norwegian giant isn't at 30 goals. Which speaks volumes of his talent.

Most goals scored for Premier League clubs across all competitions this season:

◉ 27 - Erling Haaland

◎ 17 - Harry Kane

◎ 17 - Mohamed Salah

◎ 15 - Marcus Rashford

Matchday 20 Preview:The Manchester Derby

From the title race at the crest of the table to the scramble for European football just below the leaders, down to the relegation battle below. The Premier League has been beyond gripping. Match-day 20 is no downer either, serving us the 189th edition of The Manchester Derby 

Pep Guardiola's Cityzens find themselves in a battle for the crown with his ex-assistant manager and current Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta. At the moment, The Cityzens aren't at their best. They come off a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Southampton in the EFL Cup and a recent draw to Everton at The Etihad.  There lies a five-point deficit to the top for Manchester City and up next on their to-do list are The Red Devils. 

 Erick Ten Hag's Manchester United have made a fortress of Old Trafford, winning six out of the last eight Premier League home games this season. The Red Devils have scored 3 goals a game in their last 3 games, conceding only once in their previous six fixtures. The team is playing like a unit once again and the defensive woes & offensive misfiring that previously plagued them seem to be past tense.

The last time the two sides meet, City ran riot, winning the game 6-3 thanks to hattricks by Phil Foden and Erling Haaland. But the situation is very different on this occasion. Man City midfielder İlkay Gündoğan acknowledged this in his recent press conference stating, " At the moment, there's a special recipe missing in the team. We know that we play probably the best Man Utd side in recent years, full of confidence and full of commitment so we need to be up for the challenge." 

It will be fascinating to see how this game plays out today. Manchester United have a score to settle in this fixture. Pep Guardiola and his Cityzens have a fifth Premier League title at the back of their minds. This is a Manchester derby you won't want to miss.

Hot Take: Chelsea are owning the Banter F.C. crown and I predicted it

Oh look, another footballing pundit about to take a shit on Chelsea F.C.'s current form, how graceful, how original. 

And he predicted it? He has to be a prophet as well, it must be the second reincarnation of Yahweh. Let's stomp our feet and clap our hands in thunderous applause. 

You lot are too kind, and yes, both statements are true but first, salutations. 

Hello and welcome to the penalty spot.

Sarcasm aside, let's take a peek at the numbers. After losing to their West London rivals Fulham F.C, The Blues find themselves tenth in the Premier League standings, ten points off a champions league slot. The loss to Fulham F.C., a first in the Premier League in 17 years, was the 7th loss in ten games for the Stamford Bridge faithful. Earlier this week, Chelsea was knocked out in the FA Cup third round for the first time in 25 years and if things continue to be as bleak as they have been, Crystal Palace and Liverpool, who are next on their fixture list, will fancy their chances of inflicting further damage

So how did we get here? and how did I foresee this?

Well, before the start of the season, I wrote a predictory piece on the top 3 teams that might be crowned Banter F.C. in the 22/23 season. In first place was Chelsea F.C., my reasoning stemmed from the authoritative reshuffle within the London giants. This point was recently reinforced by Chelsea's manager Graham Potter who stated, "I think  this is probably the hardest job in football because of that leadership change and because of the expectations and because of rightly where people see Chelsea" 

Apart from the overuse of the adverb 'because' in his sentences, The Potter has a point. Management reshuffles within any organisation will cause an imbalance. The manager has his plate full at the moment and the odds are not on his side. Reports suggest that further disappointments in his upcoming fixtures might see him axed. Causing the Chelsea faithful to suffer from a case of missing the EX followed by bottomless regret, and haven't we all been there?.  This situation begs the question, Was Chelsea's management perhaps too rash for sacking former manager Thomas Tuchel? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section. 

After Chelsea's acquisition, Todd Boehly, the new Chelsea C.E.O., had to bring his people in. This was to assert his rule in the team. Could it have been conducted more systematically? Possibly, but one thing the American has done is put his money where his mouth is, spending an excess of  €355.49 Million on transfers. Which in my very unprofessional but reasonable opinion has worsened the situation.

  In all honesty, Graham Potter's tactics proved effective in a team where his budget and overall resources were quite limited. Instead of mindless spending, Chelsea's management should've focused on building a concrete administrative base for the team to rise on. Results cannot be expected immediately, there needs to be cohesion between staff and players which in turn will show itself on the tuft. Potter's success at Brighton was not overnight, and it required the supporting staff and players to galvanize around his vision. Chelsea's situation is self-inflicted. Simply put, "you can't solve a problem by simply throwing money at it"